Finn Jani Anttola is the author of the historical novel “Father of One”, which is based on the true story of a married couple from Srebrenica. But Jani is not an ordinary writer, he is also a fighter and a former member of the 17th Krajina Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
Anttola was a member of the French Foreign Legion, participated in the UNFPROFOR peacekeeping mission in BiH, after which he was also in Rwanda. After returning from Rwanda, he joined the units of the Army of BiH. He recently published the book “Father of One”, which is about BiH. On this occasion, he gave an interview.
What happened, what moment prevailed for you to join the BiH Army?
“I was with UNPROFOR in Sarajevo in 1993 and saw what the Republika Srpska (RS) Army was doing to the city. The Chetniks may have thought firing artillery shells into people’s living rooms was a good idea, but to me it was horrible. Also, as part of my duties, I had to intercept those starving civilians who were trying to cross the airport runway at night, trying to leave the city. It was an ugly job, with some tragic encounters. So my sympathies just went to the Bosnian side.”
What impressions do you have of the BiH Army and its soldiers?
“I remember how down-to-earth the soldiers were. Ordinary guys, without a trace of extremism or hatred in them. Not once, going into battle, did I hear anyone say something like let’s kill the Chetniks because they are Serbs. Be aware, the houses of many of them were burnt and their family members were murdered. Of course, in every group you have someone who hasa little bit heated, but all the soldiers I served with were good people. Somehow even the Bosnian sense of humor was similar to mine. What still hurts me is that I had to go back to a well-functioning country. I came back to Finland to get a free education. Not all the guys with whom I served had such privileges after the war.”
How did you then view the decision on the embargo, which practically prevented the arming of the BiH Army, and how do you generally assess the attitude of the international community towards BiH during the war?
“I guess Western leaders saw Bosnia as a complicated mess, so there was wishful thinking that if they restrained the region with an embargo, the fighting would somehow miraculously stop, or slowly die down. Also, in the 1990s the threshold for international military engagement was much higher than in this world after September 11th, 2001, now that there is a “let’s go-start some war” mindset. Which of course was better, globally. It did hurt the Bosniaks. I didn’t think much about politics at the time, but I saw the one-sided effects of the embargo. And if you look at Ukraine today, they are getting military support because European countries feel threatened by Russian aggression. But in the 1990s, I don’t think many were worried that the war from Bosnia would spill over into Europe. It’s unfortunate, but that is how it was.”
Do you follow the current political situation in BiH, what do you think about it?
“Yes, I follow the news. It is obvious to me that a tripartite approach with divided state institutions does not work. It would require a team with a shared vision and a win-win approach. What you have now is a handful of secessionists trying to sabotage everyone’s future. Of course, if a person declares himself as a Serb, Croat or Bosniak, he has every right to say that. But no one can tear up and divide the country, either by some political tricks or violent means. It’s not my job to tell others how they should run their country, but if you want my opinion, what Bosnia needs is a strong non-partisan leader who will keep the nationalists in check and unite the people. But your divided federal system would not even give such a candidate a chance. It’s a shame because there is so much potential in Bosnia precisely because of its rich and diverse history. If only all the different groups simply agreed with each other, and why couldn’t they, as they were in Yugoslavia after the Second World War? I know that the country would progress in that way. Economic, cultural, and social development will benefit everyone”.
What inspired you to write about Bosnia, especially for the book “Father of the one”?
“I happened to meet this couple from Srebrenica whose story sounded very interesting. They let me try to write it. So it’s a fictionalized view of how they survived the war, but the main events and many details are also truthfully told. However, it was not an easy book to write. Because of the gravity of the subject, what happened in Srebrenica, I wanted the narrative to be as truthful as possible, but of course, I also needed room for creativity. So in the end you try to prevent one from disturbing the other. But my idea was that if I told their story in the form of a novel, it could reach a foreign audience that might not otherwise be interested in or know much about Srebrenica. So I could raise some awareness. Some readers have already said that have found out about that period, so I’m glad that it worked out. In any case, the reviews have been great, so I think the book has turned out well as a piece of literature.”
What is the main theme of ”Father of One”?
“To be honest, I didn’t think about the theme when I was writing. I was just focused on a good story and believed that whatever themes it had, they would surface and the readers would discover them. Now, looking at the result, the book shows how people, individuals, regardless of their national or religious identity, are caught up in the madness of war. Then, in those terrifying circumstances, it’s so important, even when it’s difficult, to remain humane and have compassion for others.”, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
